The Demon Across The Street
by TheAMAZing1
Summary: It was as if there was some unwritten rule that said you couldn't talk to the blond boy accross the street. It forced silence on their lips. Not that it mattered to Sasuke. They were destined to meet-Destined to save eachother. SasuNaru YAOI
1. Dark Angel

**Warnings: **Some bad language. Yaoi, or shonen-ai, or what ever you like to call it. I kind of abuse Naruto. I know! I'm a bad person, but its all in the name of the plot!

**Disclaimer**: I sadly don't own Naruto. I don't own the computor I'm using either :/ I recently broke mine... again...

* * *

He stretched out his back and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. It was still dark out, and the morning hues have just recently began to thinly peer above the horizon. No matter how late he seems to fall asleep, he always wakes up early, 5:45 on the dot. His body worked routinely and mechanically that way.

Swiping the raven hair that obstructed his view, Sasuke slipped out of his bed and bit back a yawn as he walked towards his darkly painted bathroom, opening the door slowly.

Sasuke didn't even bother to turn on the light. He couldn't risk looking into the mirror. It may sound silly or foolish but Sasuke avoided looking into the mirror at all costs. It wasn't that he was unattractive or anything of the sort. In fact he was quite the opposite; anyone would say he was amazingly attractive. Naturally charming. Almost doll-like.

_How_ he looked wasn't the issue, rather than _who_ he looked like.

Every time he looked into the mirror he was reminded of _him. _His brother. The man that was once his childhood idol, and was the current source of his despair. Sure their looks were far from identical, but the similarities were painfully obvious. Sasuke hated it. He hated how his dark, almost piercing black orbs, resembled those of the older Uchiha. How they both had the same perfectly pale porcelain skin. Not a blemish in sight. He detested the fact that they shared the same devilishly pink lips. How in moments of amusement they would lift one corner of their mouths in a sinful smirk. He loathed the fact that they both had the same delicate dark eyebrows, and how the left one would rise when in surprise and would furrow together when deep in though. He hated how they had the same aristocratic nose that pointed up almost smugly. He hated how much they resembled eachother, both physically and personality wise.

Shaking away rather unpleasant memories, the raven haired boy lifted the knob of the shower to start the hot water. He peeled off his suddenly heavy nightwear while he slipped into the scalding hot water. The water would be easily considered unbearably burning to anyone else, but it tingled and pleasured his senses. The thick steam would have made it hard for anyone else to breathe or see, but he basked in the suffocating feeling.

Turning off the water with one hand he reached for a towel with the other. After his skin was dry and his hair styled, he slipped into some rather formfitting, black jeans, and a T-shirt that was such a dark shade of blue, it could easily be mistaken for black.

On his way to the kitchen for breakfast, he caught something at the corner of his eye. Through the dark curtains he could see a figure in the house across the street. The figure's hair was so bright it was hard to miss. Sasuke walked towards the large window and pulled the dark tapestry to the side in order to see clearer.

He knew who that blond figure was, but the instances he did see him was rare, and not to mention strange.

The house across the street was quite small, and not even in a pleasant quaint kind of way. More of the stuffy, crowded kind of way. Sasuke remembered how people told stories about how it was haunted when he was a kid. He was quite frightened himself. He remembered how almost all parents, even his own, told their kids to avoid the house. It's wood boards were threatening to fall off and the white paint that was now a dull brown was quickly peeling. It looked strange and out of place next to its surroundings.

The rest of the houses in the neighborhood were large and new. About ten years ago, they had demolished most of the cheep preexisting homes, and in their place were new expensive ones. Each taking about three or four of the original properties. The blond's home is all that remains.

Sasuke's home itself was built around the time his parents died- no- were murdered.

No one really ever talked to the boy across the street, and as far as he knew, he didn't leave his home. Every few days though, two doctors would come and visit him. Always the same two. One with silver-grey hair, though he did not look old. He wore a darkly colored doctors mask that covered the majority of his face. The other was a busty woman with pale blonde hair tied in two loose pigtails.

Often the blond boy would sit at his windowsill and stare out at the world. He hardly went outside; it was a wonder how his skin was so tan.

Sasuke didn't know what to think of the boy, but everyone else seemed to hate him. They would walk on his property and spit on the ground. Yell insults at him through the window. Give him the finger. Others trashed his property. Anything to convey to what degree the loathed him. Yet as far as he could tell, the blonde hadn't done anything wrong. Yet the post perplexing thing was that whenever someone gave the blond such treatment, he would just_ smile_ and wave.

No matter what abuse was thrown at him, he would smile a very white and sparkling smile, revealing each of his sparkling teeth.

'_Perhaps he's insane'_Sasuke mused to himself, still staring at the blond through the window.

Some say he is, but most just called him a monster, a _demon_. Sasuke scoffed at the idea of the blond being a demon. He certainly didn't look it. He would ask someone, but it seemed most people followed some unwritten rule that said they couldn't talk to or about the blond, forcing silence on their lips. Though this didn't really affect the Uchiha, he was more of a listener than a talker anyways.

When the blond finally noticed that he was being watched, he smiled at the raven, but Sasuke just ignored it, and acted like he didn't see it. The boy gave a disappointed sigh through his teeth, but didn't allow his smile to falter.

Sasuke forced the curtains shut and made himself a breakfast. It was burnt toast and cold cereal today.

Once finished he slung his book bag over one shoulder lazily and stepped outside. It was much brighter than the house, and he had squinted his eyes, using his hands as shields from the invading sunlight. He snuck a glance at the "demon" across the street to find he was no longer there.

The window that the blond had been peering through was now shattered, and a man, about 30 or so years old was chucking rocks and bricks at the property. The man had a scruffy beard, and it is apparent that he had been drinking, which is strange because it was still early.

Sasuke just stood there motionless as the man continued throwing projectiles and profanities at the blond and his home.

"Serves you right you fucking demon!" He sneered venomously.

After he was sure he got his point across, he stormed into his car and drove away speeding. A satisfied smirk on his lips. '_If anyone, he was the demon.'_Sasuke thought as he began to continue walking. The he stopped in his tracks as sounds began vibrating through his ears.

He walked closer to its source. It was at the old beat up home across the street. Where the 'demon' lived.

The sounds grew louder. Sniffles and sobs echoed through the front lawn.

Sasuke glanced at the broken window. It was stained with blood. He could clearly smell the bitter smell ofrusting iron.

He hesitantly opened the front door, cautious to make as little noise as possible. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. It was probably because no one bothered to come this close to the house.

Stepping in, his feet caused the old floors to creek with every step.

"W-who's t-there?" said a voice cracking with every failed syllable.

Sasuke said nothing and just walked over to the blond who sat in the corner of a dark hallway.

"Your crying." Sasuke said, stating the obvious.

"Y-you're a r-real genious y-you k-know t-that?" The blond said in between sniffles.

Sasuke snorted. '_This kids balling his eyes out and he tries to take a jab at me?'_

There was silence.

"You shouldn't be here." The blond said under his breath. His voice finally collected. He finally looked up for his head was previously tucked into his knees. "Aren't you the kid across the street?" he wondered aloud. "What would your parents say if they knew that you were at the demon boy's house?" The blond said with a large smile. Too large for someone who just insulted themself.

"They're dead." Sasuke said flatly.

"I know." The blond said looking him straight in the eye. "I'm not gonna say sorry if that's what your aiming for."

"How do you know?" Sasuke said, referring to the fact that he knew of his parent's death.

"Not all monsters are stupid," Naruto said smiling again. To be honest, it was kind of freaking Sauske out. "Some are pretty observant."

Sasuke was a calculative thinker. Everything had a straight foreword answer. It was either this or that. Yes or no. Right or wrong. Even so, He didn't know what to make of the boy.

Suddenly the blond started heaving air deeply. He was panting.

"Oi, my head's spinning." He whined.

Sasuke placed his hand on the blonds shoulder in an attempt to stop the shaking. He was disturbed to find that his hands became soaking wet. He inspected his palms in the dim, hardly visible lighting, to see a crimson color.

Blood. And lots of it.

"What are you! An idiot! You're going to bleed to death!" Sasuke said uncharacteristically panicked.

The blond just smiled. The same goofy idiotic smile he'd always give.

Slowly the boy's eyes drooped closed and his slow, measured, breathes, indicated that he had passed out.

Sasuke dragged the boy, whose name he has yet to find out to a couch in the small space that he assumed to be the living room. He pulled him onto the couch, which was a disgusting mustard color and pulled off the boy's blood soaked shirt.

He saw what he had failed to see in the darkness. The blond was covered in bruises. Mixtures of brown, blue, and purples were scattered on his body, almost decoratively. He had a deep cut on his chest that wouldn't stop bleeding. The blood ran down the boy's thin frame. Looking at the blond's face, you could see his cheeks were visibly sunken, and it is obvious he doesn't eat nearly enough.

His blond hair was even brighter close up, though it was wild and untamed. His cheeks had three pale scars on each. They were almost whisker like.

He looked younger than he probably was, and radiated in innocence, yet also a touch of defiance.

Sasuke pulled off his own shirt and ripped it into strips and began to tie it around the blond's torso tightly.

"Looks like you owe me a new shirt loser." Sasuke mumbled to himself as he continued rapping his makeshift bandages.

* * *

A/N: I know its a bit rough but it gets better, at least I hope it will :)

And no, I'm not going to kill you if you don't review, or even bribe you with the fresh baked virtual chocolate chip cookies I'm eating. This was just a plot bunny that came to me in my sleep, so I had to get it down on paper before I exploded so... REVIEWS MUCH APPRECIATED, but of course, not required.

See yea next time!

EDIT 10/5: I just went back and fixed some of my mistakes. I mean, how did you guys handle my horrible grammer, and not to mention my spelling? If you see anymore horribly horrible mistakes, just tell me or better yet, be my BETA!


	2. Innocent Demon

A/N: This chapter is the story from Naruto's perspective. Sorry it's short, but the first two chapters are just to start of the story. Let's see if we can bring this plot bunny to life!

Disclaimer: I wish I did own Naruto... and the WORLD MUAHAHAHA- ahem- but sadly I own NEITHER. In fact, i own close to nothing.

Anyways, I hope you like it!

* * *

Naruto had woken up early that morning. Light had yet to shine through his dusty and cracked windows and the city has yet to have woken up from their blissful dreams.

He couldn't help but wake up at the time he did, early and before it was time for the city to wake up and come to life. It was hard not to because the routine of rising before dawn had been so painfully drilled into his head. It was forced upon him, starting from a young age. Memories of what used to be done to him if he woke up a second after sunrise caused him to shudder while still half asleep.

He groggily rubbed his eyes and yawned deeply.

He never liked mornings.

Stumbling across the dark room, tripping over invisible items, the blond made his way to the bathroom. He was ungraceful and clumsy. The time of day was probably a factor, but even so, he was always uncoordinated, even to the point of it seeming unnatural.

It was probably because he didn't walk often.

After a few seconds of feeling the wall in search of the light switch, he snapped it to ON, giving life to the dull dark room, compliments of the flickering bulb that glowed dimly above his head.

He splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to rid himself of the sleepiness that caused his eyelids to droop over his dazzling eyes.

Glancing at the mirror, his face contorted into that of displeasure and disgust.

No, his skin wasn't green or scaly, but he knew it was the skin of a monster. His innocently blue eyes neither glowed red or looked demonic but they were obviously the eyes of a demon. His teeth were neither sharp nor decayed, but his smile was that of a creature that belonged to burn in hell. His untamed and unruly blond hair was that of someone who was obviously evil. Anything but human.

Although his bright hair, skin, smile and eyes, embodied warmth in every aspect, on him it screamed of murder. Sin. A demon.

He's heard it all, Monster, Demon, Murderer, "it", "thing", NUMBER PYX21975.

Hardly ever Naruto. Never a human.

He wished they knew who he truly was.

Most people who look at him don't give him 5 seconds to prove his worth. They either look at him in fear or disgust: usually a mixture of them both.

He turned away from the mirror harshly. He hated looking into that cursed contraption, that shows what he looks like because he does not see a tan skinned, blue eyed, blond. He sees what everyone else sees. A monster.

That is brainwash to the cruelest extent.

According to the routine that he has yet to have been able to abandon, it is not yet time to shower. That wasn't until 8 o'clock, once weekly, on Monday mornings. That particular day was shower day.

The blond suppressed a sigh as he realized he would have to wait, but he wasn't allowed to complain. He walked through the stuffy room with creaky steps, that with every gentle step, sung a tired, patternless tune.

Naruto followed it's example and hummed a melodyless song as he sat in the seat facing a grimy window.

There were no stars at the crack of dawn, only a thin line of purple that had begun to peak through the horizon.

Having nothing else to do, the blond pressed his forehead and fingers on the already smudged window, looking at the outside world longingly.

Minutes blurred together into hours of nothingness. The worst kind of silence thick in the air.

The silence of solitude.

The type of silence that traps you with your thoughts.

It kills you inside.

Slowly.

Painfully.

Before the realm of sleep held him hostage once more, through the corner of his eyes he saw a dark blue/black blur in the window across the street. The orphaned boy across the street was staring at him. He had dark hair and lived in a home that looked like it was made of gold compared to Naruto's shack.

The blond decided not to look straight at the raven, not right away anyways. He didn't want to scare him away.

When he did gain eye contact, he noticed that he was extremely similar to his older brother. The main difference is that he lacked the stress and worry lines that adorned the older Uchiha's face.

Naruto made a face of surprise at the boy across the street, as if he hadn't seen him before. Naruto grinned at him cheekily, hoping for any kind of reaction besides disgust or fear. But instead of showing any kind of emotions, the boy averted his dark eyes to seem as though he was looking passed the blond the whole time.

He didn't even acknowledge the blond's existence.

To Naruto, that was the equivalent of spitting into his face. Worse than calling him a demon, because at least then he would know he was really there. That he wasn't some object as easily forgotten as a gum wrapper no one remembered to toss away.

The raven slammed his curtains closed, leaving Naruto alone with his smile that slowly fell into a sad frown. He should have expected that reaction.

Just as he was going to go to the kitchen to fix himself some stale toast, he was met with the loud pur of an engine that was approaching his home. Coming out of a beat up truck was a man with a scruffy beard and bloodshot eyes. His beard was sprinkled with white powder and he was sniffing deeply every five seconds, signaling that he was under the influence.

His brown eyes went red with fury.

In the man's hands was a half empty beer bottle that he gripped tightly.

His face was contorted not only do to the drugs and alcohol, but also hate and malice. He chucked the bottle at the window Naruto was looking through with as much force as possible. For a drunk, he was a good shot.

The sounds of glass breaking cut through the air. If anyone heard it, they didn't say anything.

The stench of alcohol was bitter to Naruto's nose which had yet to smell any food or drink that wasn't provided to him.

His skin was pierced with a mixture of both the clear, yet dirty glass of the window, and the glass of the brown and coated with alcohol bottle.

It stung, it hurt, and it bled, but Naruto stood there motionless. He has felt worse pain, and it was his rule for himself to never show his attackers mercy.

To never crawl away and hide.

Naruto turned to the angry man and flashed him one of his million dollar smiles, and unless you looked deeply into his suffocatingly blue eyes, you wouldn't notice it was pained and humorless. His usually white teeth were clearly bloodied and red.

It seemed to anger the man more.

"Why you brat!" The man yelled, chucking loose bricks while still at the safe distance of the sidewalk.

Many missed but one hit the grinning blond, right in the head and another in the chest.

The last thing he saw before he was unable to stand any longer was a darkly colored smug across the street.

The drunken man gave a look filled with sadistic pleasure as the blond fell, and he continued to throw a few rocks for good measure. Not only for the disgust and hatred for the blond, but also, to release the rage that wasn't remotely Naruto related, and rid himself of the sadness and anger he has been bottling up inside.

"Serves you right, you fucking demon!"

That's all it took. No matter how often it was, every time someone called him that, something inside him broke. It chipped away at his very being.

Tears welled up in his eyes and he failed to suppress his sobs. He cried not of the excruciating pain his cuts and bruises causes, bit because of the mental damage he faced.

Naruto dragged his abused body to the dimly lit hallway, trailing blood along the way.

He silently wept and whimpered to himself as he tried to contain himself.

That's when he began to hear footsteps. Wasn't what that man did to him enough? Did he really come back to cause more damage?

"W-who's t-there?" Naruto whispered, afraid it was going to be the drunk guy.

There was no answer, but the footsteps continued to approach, until Naruto felt a shadow cast over him.

"Your crying." The figure said.

"Y-you're a r-real genious y-you k-know t-that?" Naruto replayed rolling his eyes.

He heard the raven snort.

There was silence.

Naruto struggled to collect his voice before he continued talking, being sure to wait long enough so that his voice wouldn't hitch embarrassingly, mid-sentence. "You shouldn't be here," The blond said finally. He looked up for his head was previously tucked into his knees. "Aren't you the kid across the street?" he wondered aloud. "What would your parents say if they knew that you were at the demon boy's house?" The blond said forcing a smile on his face, though this one was a bit more natural than the rest.

"They're dead." Sasuke said flatly, as if trying to force himself to hide his emotions.

"I know." The blond said looking him straight in the eye. "I'm not gonna say sorry if that's what your aiming for."

"How do you know?" Sasuke said, referring to the fact that he knew of his parent's death.

"Not all monsters are stupid," Naruto said smiling again. The grin widened as the blond sensed that it caused the other boy discomfort. "Some are pretty observant."

Naruto watched amusedly as a frustrated look invaded the raven's pale and elegant features.

Suddenly the shooting pain that his body had been repressing began shooting through his injured body.

He panted heavily, desperately searching for air but it was as if he had forgotten how to breath.

"Oi, my head's spinning." He whined.

"What are you! An idiot! You're going to bleed to death!" Sasuke said uncharacteristically panicked.

Naruto grinned. It was an idiotic looking, goofy grin, but it was genuine. Someone acknowledged him.

Sasuke acknowledged him.

* * *

A/N: Told ya it was short. Again, I won't threaten you to review, but I WILL give you an adorably, unbearably cute, puppy dog pout to beg for you to give me your feedback! ::Stares at you adorably::

Btw, ::BETA WANTED:: Interested? PM me please! 'Cause me no speaky English goodly, and needs me a BETA! Lol. Thanks.


	3. Dividedly Intertwined

A/N: This chapter is longer than the others but still shorter than I want the average chapter to be, but it seemed like a good place to cut it off. Most of the chapter is a flash back.

I didn't really read it over that thoroughly so sorry for any mistakes, (and I fixed most of the mistakes from the last chapters)

Anywho, I hope you like it ^^

Disclaimers: The day that SasuNaru, isn't completely adorable is the day I own Naruto, which is NEVER… EVER.

* * *

Sasuke was now 8 years, 2 weeks, and four days old! (He decided on his birthday that he would try to keep track).

The boy wore a darkly colored sweater, complementing his coal black eyes. His eyes were so dark that his pupils got lost in them, drowning in the pit of nothingness. There was no real depth in his dark orbs, causing them to seem suffocatingly shallow, giving him the appearance of always being deep in thought. They were dark and yet, they were filled with warmth. His innocent dark pools have yet to have seen the coldness of the outside world, and therefore, they held nothing but warmth and happiness.

His proud and perfect Uchiha face could hardly contain his large and sloppy grin. His choice of clothing was mature for his age, (though he surely didn't pick it himself), but as proof that he was still just a child, his expensive slacks sported rips at the knees and were decorated with green grass stains.

One couldn't help but think that the look in the boys' unforgivingly dark eyes, the smile on his perfect face, the rips on his classy and pricy clothing looked out of place. Contradictory. But for this exact reason, Itachi felt something that could only be described as relief. Relief that Sasuke has yet to have lost his innocence, though he was fully aware of that the only person to see this side of Sasuke was himself.

The fact that Itachi was walking not to from his side was enough to add a slight skip to Sasuke's step, and cause a soft content sigh to escape his lips.

He looked up at the 16 year old who wore an expression of someone much older than he is. He was probably deep in thought, and it was likely to be something stressful by the looks of the discomfort that was creeping on his stoic face.

Sasuke did what he did every other day they would walk home together. He slowly and somewhat hesitantly slipped his small fingers into his brother's hand, fitting loosely, yet comfortably. He looked straight ahead sheepishly as warmth transferred from the taller boy's digits, into his own, quickly eliminating the cold that was once there.

As any other day, Sasuke held his breath, fearing that Itachi would let go. Itachi never let go before, but he couldn't help but think, one day, he wouldn't be there to hold his hands anymore.

Itachi, true to their routine, looked down at Sasuke's face, then glanced at their intertwined finger, and gave his brother a small gentle smile. This was enough to cause Sasuke to let out his breath and give a steady grin back. Even though Itachi's smile was small, the fact that it was on his stoic face at all made it all the more significant.

"Aren't you getting a bit too old to hold my hands Sasuke?" Itachi teased lightly, never looking away from his younger brother. He watched amusedly as Sasuke's smile diminished into an exaggerated pout. The kind only a child his age could pull off, sticking out his bottom lip almost comically.

"And aren't you a little too old to be teasing me?" Sasuke retorted while looking away embarrassedly. A growing red stain spread throughout his cheeks, though his grip on his brother's hands never loosened.

"You're right, forgive me brother," Itachi replied. Sasuke who was still looking away, missed the rather playful expression on Itachi's face. He was still wearing that small smile. The smile only Sasuke could put on his face.

"Yea, and I don't know why you have to walk me home from the park either. I'm old enough to do it by myself." His head was still turned away. "The only reason I'm holding your hand is because my hands are cold," Sasuke said defensively.

"Of course little brother, I knew that was the reason," Itachi said slyly, "But I suppose I could just give you my gloves if you're so cold, they are in my coat pockets you know. If you want, I'll just give you them instead..."

Itachi let go of Sasuke's reluctant hands to reach into his coat pockets that were surely empty.

"No!" Sasuke exclaimed suddenly, reaching for his brother's hands. His pale cheeks quickly became dusted with another pink blush. "I-I uh-mean, your hands a-re m-much wa-warmer than the g-gloves." He said rushed due to his embarrassment. "And I think I'm allergic to gloves, especially _your_ gloves," Sasuke piped out, unable to think up a better excuse.

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at his brother's antics. His slight laugh was rough and underused.

Sasuke was now looking agitated for being laughed at. "You can hold my hands Sasuke," Itachi told the dark haired boy, not bothering to wipe the smirk that caused his lips to twitch upwards.

They walked most of the way in comfortable silence. When they did talk, it was about how Sasuke got almost perfect scores on his report card that day, or about Itachi's new job. Itachi would have rather listened to Sasuke's excited and childish speech, but the younger boy seemed so entranced by Itachi's stories.

Itachi had graduated top of his class at only 15 years old. The youngest to graduate in the city. He was considered a genius, starting from elementary school, absorbing information like a sponge. After he graduated, he was directly recruited into working for the government. He followed in his father's footsteps and became a part of the Government's Konoha division, though he never told Sasuke what it was exactly that they did. The Konoha division was a secretive program, though not as secretive as some of the other divisions, such as the Akatsuki division, or even the Suna division.

When they finally approached their home, they let go of eachother's hands. Their father would say that it wasn't proper for and Uchiha at their status to hold hands, even if you were just a small child. In fact, neither of the siblings ever remembered holding their father's hand or giving him a goodbye hug.

When they entered the house that felt a little bit too sterile to be a home, they found their father sitting at the dining room table, finishing some sort of chart on his laptop and sipping coffee. Black coffee. The room was dark yet you could clearly see every figure's shadow.

He hardly noticed that they entered the room.

Intent on passing by without talking to his father, Sasuke rushed past the desk as quietly as he possibly could.

"Sasuke," a firm and unforgiving voice said. The tone commanded that he give it full attention. His father's voice was not raised, but it was loud to his ears.

Sasuke quickly pivoted his foot turning a stiff turn towards his father, straightening his back in the process as a proper Uchiha should, as he cleared his face of any expression. He looked one step away from saluting his father in army fashion. Every bit of his child like demeanor was lost when he was talking to his father.

"Yes father," he replied as steadily as he could, trying his best to keep eye contact.

"What happened to your clothes?" Fugaku questioned sharply.

"I-I fell…"

"You fell?" He asked blinking as if not comprehending it, not speaking again until he received Sasuke's nod. A nod that seemed quite robotic. "That was quite clumsy you. Throw them away, and be careful next time," the man ordered without the slightest bit of concern in his eyes.

"Yes sir," Sasuke whispered under his breath while looking down.

"I was informed that you would be receiving your report card today."

"That is correct."

"And the results?"

"All A's, father," Sasuke replied, handing him the flimsy paper. His voice was not as proud as it sounded when he was excitedly informing Itachi of his accomplishment.

His father's eyes held a sudden look that almost seemed like pride. It was gone in a second but Sasuke saw it, he knew it was there. He just knew it. "To be expected from my son," Fugaku said in a voice that Sasuke was sure was pride. "Though next time, I expect there wouldn't be any A minus's," Fugaku cautioned.

The statement wasn't much, but it was enough to swell Sasuke's heart with joy, and feel a sudden burst of acceptance. He wanted to grin a grin as wide as his mouth would allow him. He wanted to cheer as loud as his throat possibly could. Instead he bowed, but not too deeply, because Uchiha's never bowed too deep, even in the face of another Uchiha.

"Understood. Thank you father," Felling fulfillment Sasuke left the room happily sliding the paper screen door open with a new sense of pride.

He had to work a lot harder than Itachi did. He was not a natural like his brother, but in the end, his hard work had paid off. As soon as Sasuke had turned around from his father, he had smiled a very genuine smile, and when he passed by Itachi, he did not notice his older brother's unreadable, cloudy expression.

'_Whatever you do Sasuke-chan, Just don't follow in my footstep… That's all I ask of you. Chose happiness over pride.'_

Right when Sasuke left the room and was about to turn a corner, the phone rang and the sound of bells echoed through the empty feeling house. Sasuke being the curious child that he was, returned back to the room and pressed his ear by the door.

"Yes this is Fugaku speaking," His father said speaking in a very professional and businessy tone. "So this is about Itachi, right?… Yes I told you he would be a great addition to the team…That sounds like you have put a lot of thought to this and I think it's a wonderful idea… Yes, I'll see to it that he accepts… Move? To where? And you surely don't mean that dump…. The newer homes better be to our taste or it's a no deal… alright, good bye." There was the sound of a beep, signaled that the phone conversation was over.

"Itachi," Fagaku said, turning towards his eldest son. "You have been promoted to the Akatsuki division. Congradulations." Itachi's expression was as unreadable as ever, but in his eyes, you can tell he was feeling the opposite of happiness. "That's my boy," Fugaku praised, "At least I know _you_'ll never disappoint me."

Itachi clenched his fists as he turned to the screen door that Sasuke was peering through with teary eyes.

"Sasuke," he whispered as the boy disappeared.

That was the last day they held hands. After all, they didn't see eachother much following that.

* * *

The blond was laying down in Sasuke's living room. His abused body was sprawled on the dark blue colored couch in the center of the room. The unconscious lump was slumped limply onto the soft seat.

He seemed to be having some sort of a nightmare, causing him to whisper dark things, and contort his face from emotions ranging from fear to despair.

Sasuke watched in morbid fascination as the blond clenched his fists violently and opened his mouth slightly, making a sputtering noise as he tried to yell in his sleep.

The blond's eyes were clamped shut, yet tears were leaking through them. His tan skin was pale due to lack of blood and possibly his nightmare's trauma, yet Sasuke didn't call 911, probably aware that the blond wouldn't like that idea.

No matter what Sasuke did, the blond didn't seem to wake up, so Sasuke just sat there.

Sasuke just sat there and watched.

"Blood…" The blond whispered in his sleep. Sasuke couldn't mistake the lustful look on his boyish, tan face. "The taste of blood…"

Sasuke sat there in the silence of the dark room, trying to decipher his cryptic words. Sasuke soon realized that blood had indeed began to drip into the blond's mouth.

His face was twisted in pleasure at the taste of his own blood.

How absurd.

Tan skin became drenched with cold sweat. Drops of salty liquid dripped down his forehead and his spiky yet soft hair became limp and droopy with moisture. Naruto's breathes became jagged and his hands were extended, trying to reach for something that wasn't there. The pleasant look on his face was replaced with that of fear. The look of terror was clearly etched on his face.

"Can't… give… in…to… it," The blonde mumbled horsely. "Have… to… fight…it"

Sasuke was completely puzzled. What or who did the blond have to fight? His murmurings continued and his dreams seemed to worsen. The blond was quite the talker, even in his sleep. He continually whispered something about not being a demon, repeating it over and over, as if trying to convince someone… or himself.

Tan fingers felt around his side, searching for something or someone to hold, something to provide him with warmth or comfort. To whisper beautiful nothings into his ears and calm his tortured soul. Someone to intertwine his fingers with.

But no one who could do any of those things were there. Only Sasuke.

Sasuke just sat there, his dark depthless eyes focused on the blond, and despite the strong discomfort evident in the blond's face, Sasuke held not a trace of sympathy. The thought of holding the blond's hands to calm him didn't even pass his mind. He was seemingly unmoved by Naruto's suffering. In fact, He didn't spare him a look of pity. That is, until the next thing he whispered.

"The… Akatsuki… here… must…. escape….." He mumbled panting hard while tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Akatsuki," Sasuke repeated to himself. The name he thought he had put behind him a long time ago. Buried with all memories of Itachi.

Sasuke hesitantly gripped onto Naruto's hands, as much for the blond as for himself. Not softly or gently, but more of a tight, reassuring kind of way.

"You're safe from them," Sasuke whispered, his voice suddenly broken and bristle. "They don't come around here anymore."

The blond's face visibly relaxed, but he wouldn't allow the raven to let go. So Sasuke just sat there, alone with this mysterious boy that spent his life hidden from the outside world. The darkness of the room consumed their bodies as night crept into the sky. Sasuke could still see through the darkness. He was use to sitting in the darkness.

When the blond's grip loosed and his eye's began patting open and closed, Sasuke took initiative to let go, seeing that the blonde was calm enough.

Plus, the raven was already acting uncharacteristically enough today.

When Naruto woke up, he lifted his head slowly. After yawning, oblivious to the dark haired boy's presence, he sniffed the air.

"Why does it smell like… blood? ... My blood…?" He asked softly.

"What's your name?" Sasuke asked, ignoring the previous question.

"Naruto," He mumbled still half asleep. "Wait. Who are you?" He whispered searching the darkness, then suddenly turning to Sasuke's location, looking at him while still not seeing him. "You smell like flowers," He informed him, causing Sasuke to snort.

"Better than the trash you smell like, idiot."

"Ah," A look of recognition passed his eyes, "so it's the bastard from across the street, what are you still doing here?"

Ignoring the bastard comment, Sasuke replied. "Saving your life that's what, and plus, this is my house."

"What!" The blond exclaimed loudly, causing his voice to boom throughout the empty and hollow house. "What time is it?" He commanded firmly, sounding panicked and completely different from just a moment before.

"7:30."

"Great, I have time!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet before giving a pained grunt. He grabbed his head with one hand and his chest with the other. "OWW!"

"You're still hurt, you should just sit back down," Sasuke informed rather flatly, not holding a trace of concern.

"For your safety and my own, I have to get my demon ass out of here!"

And with that, he ran out the room, somehow managing to run with his injured body.

"Loser," Sasuke muttered to himself, shaking his head.

That was the second person Sasuke has ever held hands with.

* * *

A/N: Hello lovely readers! I updated after only 4 days! You proud?

I have so many plans for the plot, and I'm PUMPED and I'm hoping for reviews telling me what you do and don't like.

Love Always,

TheAMAZing1


End file.
